Presidential candidate Mariela Frias-Gomez and her running mate Camille Naputo put an emphasis on making ASWSU a more inclusive institution that will better represent students of color and be held to higher levels of accountability.

Frias-Gomez said issues faced by multicultural students and students of color often go unheard and unnoticed at WSU. She said that as representatives of the student body, they must create an open environment for all students and cannot pick and choose issues.

Their competitors, presidential candidate Quinton Berkompas and vice presidential candidate Jhordin Prescott both said they wanted to make the ASWSU executive more approachable and receptive to student feedback.

“We want to work harder to approach students,” Berkompas said. “ASWSU needs to be more connected with the community.”

He said that even with massive cuts to the ASWSU budget, it does not cost a thing for representatives to reach out and speak with students about the issues they are facing on campus.

Candidates from both tickets agreed there must be more transparency and accountability regarding university spending.

Frias-Gomez said students deserve to know where the money they pay in fees and tuition is spent and how it is affecting them.

Candidates from both tickets disagreed with the approval of funds for construction of the new baseball facility, a proposal back in January in which the university agreed to loan $3.5 million to WSU Athletics for a baseball clubhouse.